Our 2023 FC Dallas player recaps continue with Homegrown midfielder Paxton Pomykal.
It seems wild to think, but this was Pomykal’s 8th season since signing his Homegrown deal back in 2016. After all was said and done, I think this may have been one of his best seasons to date.
Stat breakdown
While his appearances (24) and starts (19) were down from the previous two seasons, Pomykal really seemed to find his stride in the second half of this season. He was consistently one of the best if not the best player, on the field in many matches late in the season. He does a lot of the dirty work in the midfield by finding ways to clog up passing lanes, get in on tackles that others won’t do, and then turn those items into quality movements forward into the attack.
Pomykal picked up three assists this season but the bigger thing for me was his passing. His passing accuracy improved to 86.4%, one of the best on the team. The fact that he’s improved that area by almost 10% since the 2021 season is massive.
Highlight
Again, Pomykal isn’t the guy that is going to appear on the stat sheet every game these days. But what he does so well is finding the right guy in space to help set up a goal like this one on Decision Day against LA.
What can we expect from him in 2024?
I believe the hope for Pomykal is to continue appearing in 25-30 games, start most of them and find ways to get back on the scoresheet through assists. He hasn’t been able to get more than five assists in a season in his career yet, and with Alan Velasco out until the late summer in 2024, FC Dallas will need anyone they can get to step up in creating chances in the attack.
Final thoughts
What is wild to me is that Pomykal is still only 23 (soon to be 24) years old. He’s certainly hitting his stride as a professional now that he’s completed another season with the club where he was mostly healthy.
Pomykal continues to be a leader on this team, too. As mentioned above, he does all the work you want out of a central midfielder. If he can find ways to translate that work into items on the scoresheet, I can imagine he’ll be back in the running for a US call, too.
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